Food 10 year old wine still OK? (Petit Sirah, Zinfandel, Riojha)

Pursegrrl

Pursegrrl

Oh no she di-int!!
O.G.
Jun 1, 2006
28,872
1,061
#1
Dang! I don't drink red wine much anymore, and canceled my wine of the month club membership here a few months ago.

I have 3 bottles of 1999 wines in my wine rack (petit sirah, zinfandel and riojha) and I wonder if these are still worth checking out or if they're better in the spaghetti sauce? :P Oh and a table wine too from a well known vineyard here in eastern Washington.

Any tips/advice on these types of wines? TIA!
 
#2
I don't know a TON about wines, but a lot of wines do well with age, and they taste better or at least different and more rich over time. I think part of it depends on how you stored them though, did you keep them indoors in a decently well-controlled area as far as humidity and temp? if so they should, for the most part be okay, and richer and stuff as far as I know!!
 
#3
CTgrl414 said:
I don't know a TON about wines, but a lot of wines do well with age, and they taste better or at least different and more rich over time. I think part of it depends on how you stored them though, did you keep them indoors in a decently well-controlled area as far as humidity and temp? if so they should, for the most part be okay, and richer and stuff as far as I know!!
Click to expand...

Thanks, CT! yeah, in all the years I've had these beauts through 3 moves they've been in cool temps and out of direct sunlight in a wine rack.

I guess all I can do is crack 'em open and see what happens (and have a backup or two if they've gone funky, eh?)

Cheers!!
PG
 
#4
That's exactly what I'd do. The odds are, they're going to be cooking wines, but they might surprise you and be great. If you have a backup bottle, they'll probably be fine. If you're relying on one as your drinking wine, it's sure to be corked. That's usually the way it works out for me!!
 
#5
I would love to crack those open to see what you get, Pursgrrl! I don't know a whole lot about wines, but I do know that there are some reds that are meant to be opened and drank right away, and there are some that need to age for a few years. And if you are aging them, they need to be in a controlled temp and light situation. So, if you haven't "turned" the bottles or they have been sitting in a wine rack in your kitchen for 10 years, they just might be fabulous for cooking. I'd open every single one of them. Now, I don't believe you can really age white wine, as you should drink it within a year or so of buying it, but I may be wrong there.
 
#6
If the wine is not drinkable, then don't use it in your cooking either.

It is difficult for us to say whether the wines will be ok or not. Far from all red wine survives to be stored more than a year, others can be stored several decades. Google the wine names and see if anything comes up. What does the back label (if there is one) on the bottles say about storage?
 
#7
^^Doesn't wine just turn vinegary when it gets old? If it's not good for drinking it should still be fine to splash into sauces and the like, right?

To the OP, I'd definitely have a back-up bottle for sipping :yes:
 
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